1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to merchant offers for goods and service and, more particularly, to redemption of certain offers such as online coupons.
2. Description of the Related Art
Offer-discovery systems provide a service by which merchants inform customers of offers, for example deals (like discounts, favorable shipping terms, or rebates) or coupons (like printable coupons for in-store use or coupon codes for use online). Typically, the systems store information about offers from a relatively large number of merchants and provide an interface by which customers can identify offers in which the customer is interested. Merchants have found the offer-discovery systems to be a relatively effective form of marketing, as cost-sensitive consumers are drawn to such systems due to the system's relatively comprehensive listings of offers. Such offers may include coupons, such as traditional in-store coupons, and online coupons typically obtained via the Internet, such as from merchant websites, e-mail distributions, or other sources. To use an online coupon, a customer typically provides an identifier, such as a coupon code, when purchasing goods and services from a merchant's online store. However, a customer may forget about the existence of the coupon and, as a result, fail to take advantage of the offer presented by the coupon. Additionally, it may be challenging for a customer to remember the identifier presented by the coupon and to use the online coupon in the manner specified by the online store. Additionally, the advent of smaller computing devices having different or limited interfaces may increase the challenges faced by customers attempting to use online coupons.